Family of 5

Aibrean3

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 29, 2020
Looking at a future trip to Disney late next year, starting to do research now. I have never been so am a little clueless, although I have done a bit of reading. I will have a 7, 6 and 4 yr old and will have another adult with me to assist with the kids as the oldest is autistic with severe for allergies, and the youngest has some similar flags for autism but hasn't been officially tested yet. What resorts would be best for a family of 5 that won't require me to book 2 separate rooms?
 
There are a fair number of choices. For our family of 5, we stayed at the Polynesian numerous times. We liked the fact that we could take the monorail or boat to the Magic Kingdom where we spent a lot of time when the kids were younger. However, it is one of the more expensive resorts. As our kids got older, we switched over to Port Orleans Riverside which we also liked. The rooms are smaller and the transportation to the parks from POR is only by bus, but the price reflects the fact that it is a moderate and not a deluxe resort. These boards offer lots of advice, but I would also read The Unofficial Guide to WDW or their Touring Plans website to get summaries of the hotels and their ammenities. https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/hotels
 
Two spring to mind:
-Cabins at Ft. Wilderness, which allow up to six people. Bedroom has a queen bed and bunk beds. Living room has a decent sofa bed. No noise from people above or to the sides as you are a self-contained unit. No need for elevators. Kitchenette will allow you to store and eat more of your own food, which might help with allergy issues. Very quiet, not busy environment, deer and bunnies around, a real nature
Downsides are needing to rent a golf cart to get around the Fort, or having to walk a mile for some things, or having to wait for the Fort's internal bus system to get around to the boats to MK or buses to other parks. Or you could just drive to other parks. Other downside (for some) is one bathroom.
-Family suites at Art of Animation. They cost more than the cabins (~$50-100/night), but have two bathrooms and better resort food options, plus more pool choices in case you want to find one that is quieter or with fewer people. Plus, major theming around the entire resort (including the pools) that should delight kids at the ages mentioned. If kids don't mind heights, you can fly to Epcot and DHS on Skyliner.
Downside is that it's a busy resort and we found buses to be crowded, so we used some Lyfts to MK and AK as we didn't have a car.
GL and happy planning!
 
Thanks you much. I almost feel like it would help to have some choice with transportation, I am just not sure yet if that is a deciding factor or not. I can definitely see the perks of the Polynesian and how it could be nice. The AOA suites sound nice too, especially with the theming and such. So many choices. I have looked at the cabins, but I worry about it since my oldest is a runner with no sense of danger. I just fear that he will take off into the woods and I not be able to catch him or him not realizing that we are near roads, etc. Just as I will keep a close eye ( and leash) on him if we are anywhere near water at our resort ( that will be another deciding factor ultimately) because he takes off straight to water and I cannot catch him quickly or easily.
 


At WDW water is everywhere. Put chains on door at night.
There are some moderates that sleep 5 as well. CBR and POR has some rooms with a small bed for the 5th. It comes down to how many beds are needed.
 
I saw Caribbean beach could sleep 5. I just need to see if they can handle his allergies at the restaurants as it will be nice having a few options for food on property.
 


I saw Caribbean beach could sleep 5. I just need to see if they can handle his allergies at the restaurants as it will be nice having a few options for food on property.

I can tell you disney is a+++++ for food allergies.

My 16 yo has/had severe allergies since he was born but I didn’t know until he was just shy of a year. Dairy, peanut, treenut and egg white. Dairy was the worst and normal blood values are under 2, he was about 120. The rest were probably between 20-50. He can now have egg whites which he hates due to having to eat them daily for 2 weeks (he was always able to have eggs cooked in something). He can have cashews, almonds and pistachios which is fabulous as he loves ben and jerrys non dairy cherry garcia. He failed his peanut challenge about 4 years ago and his allergist isn’t ready to try again as his skin test is still to big. And the best is dairy now, he is under 10 now and initially could have baked milk-like in a cake but graduated to baked cheese like pizza! It made our 2018 Disney trip more “Relaxed”. the CM at Beaches and Cream on our pool day ice cream break gave him “an extra scoop” of tofutti because it was so hot.

When we stayed at the Poly for our 2013 trip, i know at captain cooks there was a special allergy grill. They also gave him a dole whip to try for free....it was a sample in a cup, a good sized cup. And they gave him a whole row of Oreos because he couldn’t have any of the dessets....for free! When we stayed there in 2018 (split stay), we had no issues but he ordered from the non allergy menu for his food And if he wanted ice cream he would just ask for the dairy free one but he wanted dole whips...spoiled kids!

The 2 other trips he went on, I brought him hamburger/hot dog buns that he could eat as the allergy friendly ones were gluten free and he didn’t like them....he was 22 mo and 4 3/4 those trips. I buy his butter he can have and some other stuff for breakfast that I know he will eat plus some snacks.

We mainly do QS for 90% of our meals, plus we have our own breakfast in our room...less stressful in the am to rush and get food when we can eat in our room while getting ready. And we have never had an issue at QS in all the parks and all around WDW.

I can’t figure out how to upload the small video clip but this was from 2018 at chef Mickey’s. This was his dessert. It sparkled! They even gave him a Paper cup to put the fruit and oreos in because he was full.

5E75BACB-5FB5-42E7-BDAD-21CF3DBB90A4.jpeg
 
We stayed in the family suites at All Star music when our kids were those ages, and that was great. Cheaper than AoA. Nice to have one separate bedroom when bedtime was getting out of hand.
 
Our allergy list is outrageous. We just found out his allergies within the past 2 months, and are still trying to navigate things to figure out what he can and cannot eat. I am finding he has a few things that are teetering on the edge of anaphylactic, so more trips to the allergist are coming up. I will post a pic of the list of allergies that we are working with at the moment.
 
Apples, apricot, melon, banana( very severe), hazelnut, celery, carrots, plum, cherry, walnut, peanut, strawberry ( very severe), watermelon ( very severe), chestnut, avocado, kiwi( severe) olive, bell pepper, mango, papaya, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts
 
We stayed in the family suites at All Star music when our kids were those ages, and that was great. Cheaper than AoA. Nice to have one separate bedroom when bedtime was getting out of hand.
Definitely worth considering...the All Star Music family suites are even undergoing a major update.
 
One advantage to a suite or cabin rather than a room that sleeps 5, is the little kitchenette. You can do a grocery store run or order through instacart, and be more in control of your food. Maybe not as fun as eating out all the time for a vacation, but the added control might make for better peace of mind.

The family suites at AS Music are probably the least expensive option. There’s also not a lot of woods or water to worry about if your son runs there. The pools at all the resorts are fenced, but you’ll want to check a map to see where you think lakes might pose a risk, as some resorts are closer than others to water.
 
Depends on priorities on Hotel... location? price? amenities etc...

We are a family of 5, with 2 ASD children in the mix. We have stayed at most resorts but here are our favorites and a few reasons why:

1. Contemporary - Location, location, location. MK is our favorite park, so having the ability to saunter passed all the waiting crowds and walk to the hotel at the end of the night is literally priceless! Room is spacious enough and well appointed. To save money, look for the Garden Wing Rooms. Still expensive in relative terms though.
2. Polynesian - Location & theming. We love the Poly, its the best theming for our family and offers everything we want in a hotel. However, you pay a pretty high premium for it! Depending on which building you are in, the rooms can be somewhat dated and old.
3. Wilderness lodge - Boulder Ridge Villas (DVC side) - we love this place! Theming is great, the lobby is brilliant and the pools are also awesome. We love the amenities here as well as the various options for transportation. We love getting the boat too and from the MK and others at the rear dock. Price can be competitive depending on how you do it.
4. Port Orleans The Riverside - sleeps 5 with a fold down single bed. This is much more cost effective than the others, but depending on the building you can be miles away from amenities. You are reliant on buses to get everywhere and these are often full when they get to you. Food court isn't bad bey any stretch, but we feel 'distant' when staying here.

We only really stay at the monorail resorts now when onsite, however, we have also stayed offsite and had some great success. We stayed at the Embassy suites Flamingo crossing and loved it. Spacious kitchenette and double queen plus sofa bed etc... great pricing and not bad access to the parks. We had a car and we have AP's so we don't have to pay for parking at the parks and due to disability can also park in the disabled parking areas making access to the park a little easier.

We haven't tried the cabins although they do look awesome, we have always been a little wary of location and the need for a vehicle or golf cart!
 
I also agree with family room@ AS music. Having an outside door really helped us. Our son has issues with lights and sounds so lobbies can be problematic. The room was just big enough and the price was better than two rooms or upgraded hotels.
 
I have always been happy with POR and CBR when we had 5 of us.
 

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